Antagonized
by swornbyloki
Summary: A mysterious man has been haunting Tony every night for weeks. The dreams are often weird and surreal, more like nightmares. Then suddenly Tony finds an unnatural rock, and things start to get worse. Who is the man behind the shadows? And what will Tony do when he realizes that he wants more than he first thought? Frost/iron... If it offends anyone by all means don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Yes i slipped and accidentaly wrote a Frostiron. I just thought it would be a nice change compared to my other stories :) Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 1**

Tony smiled triumphantly at the baffled Dr. Banner, content with the fact that the doctor would not be able to see his show of pride in the dim light. His burst of happiness was short lived as other thoughts interrupted the smug feeling of seeing his partner stare dumbly at the object. Tony had spent hours yesterday trying to figure out where the hell it had come from, and what it meant – why it had been sitting in the middle of the road at the exact moment he'd come around in his convertible.

"How..?" the words spluttered out of the mystified doctor's mouth as he struggled to recover coherent speech.

"Surprised?" Tony inched closer to the scientist, cautiously extending a hand to wave around in front of his face. The man only blinked numbly, still staring at the strange glowing orb of light like his life depended on it.

"More like – staggered..." Dr. Banner mumbled slowly, blinking more rapidly now to clear the shock from his mind. Now that he'd gotten past the first hurdle, the curious scientist part of him demanded answers.

"How did you find that? Where did you find it!? The amount of radium that would have needed collecting – not to mention the fact that most Triboluminescent chemicals need to be crushed...whoever made this is really experienced."

"I found that it contains carefully crushed amounts of sucrose and the only glows when the lights are off." He clicked his fingers and Jarvis quickly flicked the lights back on. The computer robot moved over to the corner, obediently keeping quiet. "It's only triggered by electrical energy but seems to have this random...flare sometimes – don't know why though."

"Flare?"

"Yeah – like, it spits out this shrieking sound and pulses blue/white."

"Why?" Bruce bent down to study the rock. Tony twisted his lips to one side, contemplating the object. His mind raced with the thoughts that erupted from somewhere in his brain, colliding with the other thoughts that were completely off topic. He threw muscled hands up into the air and strode out of the room, suddenly feeling very confused. His head was starting to get the stabbing pains again. Bruce followed behind him, keeping the flood of questions at bay. He sensed his partner wasn't feeling too chatty, but was too shy to ask why.

"It doesn't make sense..." small mumbled sentences were all the curious scientist caught from his abnormally unresponsive partner. Tony was always so witty and talkative, never missing a chance to tease everyone about their opinions and mistakes. This new version of him was far too odd to offer any comfort to Bruce.

"Hey – err, Tony?"

"Yeah what?" he turned around briskly, eyebrows furrowed together in a worried line above deep brown eyes.

"What's bothering you, really?" the shy scientist was not usually one for commenting on people's personal lives, but he couldn't help but ask – after all, this was his colleague. They'd been through a lot together during Loki's attack, and were now practically inseparable. Just because he was quiet did not mean he didn't notice things.

"Nothing Bruce. You don't need to worry – I'm just a little miffed that a piece of glowing stone can be so goddam hard to figure out. I've been trying hours to find what the hell is in that thing! And why would it just appear out of nowhere, in the middle of the street for god's sake!? I could've run right over it if I hadn't slowed down for the lights."

"You slow down for lights?" Bruce raised a sceptical brow, not fully believing his statement. Tony might be cautious but he was definitely not slow.

He received a baleful glare from his partner who abruptly turned and stalked away to the bedroom, grabbing a can of coke from the desk on his way. "I'm going to figure crap out alone. Catch you later Bruce."

"Bye..." he replied, a tad too late. The click of the door was the only sound he heard after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello to all you readers...faithful in your reading...never mind the weird start. :) Enjoy the second chapter and please take time to review - your comments help me improve it, or keep it the same. Either way. **

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**Chapter 2**

Tony woke up sweating, the sheets crumpled up around his legs, bare chest heaving and eyes wild in panic. His heart hammered loudly in his chest as the realization that he was awake hit his baffled mind. Had he just imagined that – or could it possibly have been real?

His mind churned over the ideas, desperately trying to decipher dream from reality. It had seemed so real – could it have been? _No. It was just a dream._ Tony shook his head violently and moved to sit up against the backboard of his king sized bed. The cool wood against his hot back calmed him slightly, allowing time for his mind to take control again. He'd been having dreams like this one for a while now – but it was only tonight that this new aspect had been introduced.

Usually in his dreams, Tony would always be the centre of what was happening, not always aware of the fact that he was the centre of everything. There was always a man, watching him through the shadows that engulfed his imaginary body. He'd always call out to the figure: "Who are you?" but the man would only grin widely and disappear, only to reappear again in a different place.

What troubled Tony the most was that ever since he'd found that ridiculous glowing object on the road, the man who didn't look like anyone Tony knew had begun to star continuously in his dreams. What was once just blank nothingness was now wildly confusing. He could never get rid of him, nor could he reach him; for every time he felt himself reaching out to touch the cloak the mysterious shadow wore, he would be left grasping at thin air. And it was always so darkly misty! He was so sick of the mist, of not being able to see or feel or do anything; yet something compelling him to stay and find the man. But he never did.

It had to do with that absurd stone. Maybe it glowed for a reason? Of course it glowed for a reason. _What is wrong with you Tony? Why can't you think properly? _He was so utterly confused. Was he not the man of iron – as Thor had first proclaimed him? The man who survived no matter the odds? The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? That man in the shadows was doing something to him. And it wasn't going to stop soon. _So force it to, dude, you're Iron man. _He let his head fall back on the hard wood, steadying his beating heart. The dim glow of blue in his chest comforted him, made him feel real. Its light fell on the walls and left the hidden corners of his room in shadow. He tried not to dwell on that fact for too long.

The digital alarm clock beside him read 3:15 AM and Tony groaned into the silence after glancing quickly at it. He never got enough sleep anymore, what with working day and half the night to figure the stupid rock out, not to mention the dreams that were consistently becoming worse since he'd picked the damn thing up.

"You're an idiot Tony..." he mumbled to himself, beginning to regret ever stopping. He should have just run it over.

"Care for tea, sir?" a loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Get lost Jarvis, you know I don't drink tea – what is wrong with you?" Tony growled out irritably. He'd only just updated the annoying computer, but now he wished he had just left it virus – infected. To make a virtual intelligence system had seemed pretty cool at the time, but Jarvis was more of a nuisance than anything else. _Sometimes Tony, you are too good at things. _

"Just seemed like a good question at the time sir."

"Go away." He grumbled sulkily, getting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. _Stupid technological piece of crap. _Jarvis was always sticking his nose – no he didn't have a nose, his irritating not so virtual voice where it didn't belong.

The shirt felt familiar as Tony pulled it over his head, dragging on a pair of designer jeans to top it off. Even if he was in a crabby mood, Tony Stark always had to look good. It was just one of those things that came with being the world's most good – looking superhero.

The blinds folded in as he clicked a button next to the light switch, flooding the room with predawn light. He hesitated, looking out over the city from his high vantage point on the 89th floor of his Stark tower. New York really was beautiful in the morning. He smiled smugly as he remembered the look on Fury's face after he powered up the new eco – friendly tower for the first time. Fury had called him in almost instantly and he'd had to endure a full two minutes of his time listening to him complete one sentence before walking out. "Do you have to pronounce to the whole of New York that Tony Stark is a billionaire superhero?"

"Jealous?" this probably hadn't been the smartest thing to say to a guy with an eye patch, (especially since this one was Fury) but Tony had never been good at passing up an opportunity to tease.

Too bad Loki had ruined the letters of his last name in his latest visit, now all that remained was an A. How annoying. Not that it would take much to fix it, but he hadn't really wanted it destroyed in the first place. It was just a prototype anyway. Pepper and he hadn't finished the designs for the real one yet. _That will be something Fury will burst a vein over._

The thought left him smiling, so that was the first thing Bruce saw when Tony emerged from his room. The surprised scientist cautiously smiled up from his mug of coffee.

"Up early today?"

"Is it anything unusual?" Tony muttered, grabbing a box of cereal from the cupboard and pouring it into the first bowl his hands touched. Bruce raised an eyebrow, staring ahead at his friend. _Cereal? _He ducked his head and glanced at the clock above the plasma TV. 4:50AM.

"You used to get up earlier."

"I stayed in bed." He slouched to the table opposite Bruce and threw himself into the chair.

"Doing what?" Bruce asked cautiously. He didn't want to pry, but Tony seemed open enough so far.

"Thinking." _Aaand_ there was that tone of voice. Bruce nodded silently, processing what he'd told him. It wasn't much to work from. Tony used to be so out – there, now he was secluded and withdrawn. Bruce wanted to help his buddy, but just didn't know how. _If only he'd talk to me. _

"About?" ok that was probably a mistake, but Bruce was starting to get really concerned. He flinched as Tony glared up at him and shovelled the last few spoonful's of cereal into his mouth, vaulting out of the chair and throwing the bowl into the sink. The loud clattering noise was a harsh reminder that things were not as they once used to be. Bruce gazed after his partner in remorse, feeling like the only one in this damn apartment that knew what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

**sorry for the ginormous wait i put everyone through, I promise it won't happen again :) Third chapter is here! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

Tony gazed at the door from his sitting post on the bed. It had only been three hours ago that he'd sat here, trembling and sweating from the aftershock of the dream, now he was forced back into the confines of his private room. _I need to get the hell out of here. _

There was only one place he could think of where no one would disturb him. Without as much as a coherent order from his mind he found his legs taking him out of the room and in the direction of the garage. He felt a tiny bit of guilt nibble at his mind at ditching Bruce again, but the scientist would understand. He always understood. That was one of the reasons Tony could stand to stay around. Bruce was pretty much the only person he could put up with. Pepper too. She'd been his best friend from the beginning, even before he was rich and famous.

The door slid open silently and Tony was hit with the wonderful scent of leather and rubber. You would think that after almost running over that glowing rock that had pretty much ruined his life he'd be hesitant to go out again. But this was Tony Stark for god's sakes, and more than a day away from a moving automobile was practically suicidal.

His collection of cars greeted him as the door opened into the huge garage. Tony smiled proudly, feeling a little better at the fact that almost no one in New York had half a skyscraper filled with cars. Except him of course. _It's because I want to be different. _He grimaced at his pointless modest comment. Modesty and Tony did not go well together. _Well someone's got to set a good example for filthy rich people all over the world. _He admitted as the feel of soft leather moulded to his back. The red Porsche was by far one of his favourite cars, and the fastest.

His eyes drifted to the yellow convertible he'd first encountered the glowing rock with. _Screw you, worthless piece of junk. _He thought bitterly, directing his thoughts to the foreign rock. Now he'd never look at that car the same. It would always be as if he and that car were jinxed, and driving it again would cause another encounter with something that would ruin his perfect life even more. _Way to ruin a perfectly good car. _

The ride down the exit path wasn't long, but Tony wasn't in the mood for anything slower than 100km, so the 50km winding movement soon made him even more irritated. The only thing stopping him from gunning it down was his affection for the red Porsche. It wasn't much, but it secured a long life for the sleek car.

Blinding sunlight hit the windscreen as Tony emerged from the building. He didn't stop to check anything, he just hit the gas and the car jolted forward like a cougar, spraying loose gravel into the closing garage door. Tony rolled down the windows and tilted his head back, feeling the tension of the past few days melt away as the car streaked past the main roads and into a little dirt track. There wasn't much room for more than two cars, but Tony could not have cared less, so long as it was flat and empty.

Bruce gazed out the large window from the top floor of the building, following the trail of smoke giving away his friend's location. He breathed a huge sigh and turned to face the empty lounge room. He'd known Tony was going to get away; he just hadn't been prepared for how empty it would feel without the scientist's talking. Not that he'd been saying much the past few days. Tony's silence really grated on Bruce's nerves. He felt so frustrated – so helpless; and that was a dangerous thing for him to feel. All this tension could trigger the Other Guy to come out again, and even if he could practically control it now he wasn't too keen on proving it to everyone.

His feet thudded gently on the polished floor as he made his way to the door leading to their science lab. _He _needed time out now, and since he didn't want to get into an argument with Tony about why he took a car without permission; the only place for him to get it was doing science. The lab was oddly silent, the clicking of machines and the whirring of Jarvis cleaning were the only noises heard. _At least it's quiet._

He was going to walk past it, he'd promised himself not to bring it up again for fear of setting Tony off; but the scientist inside him was begging to be heard. The rock was pulsing blue; even in the lit lab he could see the faint glow of ice. It had to have come from somewhere, nothing like this just dropped from the sky. _Maybe it's Loki's. _Bruce bent down and studied the rock. The blue was the same as the tesseract had been, and like what Loki's sceptre had contained in its centre. It would not be surprising if it was his. The world had only recently found out that there were other creatures in the universe – far stronger than them, so it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if something belonging to another realm had accidentally made its way to Earth.

_I seriously hope not. _The last thing he wanted – anyone wanted was for Loki to come back. New York City would probably not survive another attack and the Avengers would be pretty pissed off about it all. Not to mention Fury would probably shoot himself if all the work they'd done just went to waste.

"What the hell are you?" Bruce whispered at it, willing some sort of answer to pop into his head.

Jarvis moved over to him, snapping his hand continuously in front of Bruce. "Go away Jarvis."

"Sir, I have an idea." The robot answered, persistently blocking his view. Bruce narrowed his eyes at the computer robot and shook his head.

"Fine. But if you're being you're usual self then I don't want to hear anything." He moved out of the way and stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the robot to come up with the words. He doubted it had any idea what it was doing, but he didn't have the heart to be as rude as Tony was.

"The rock is shiny on the surface, sir." Jarvis moved expertly around the other side and extended a metal claw, tapping the rock once on the left and then on the right.

"Both opposite sides are flat black, and the others are metallic silver." The claw moved up over the top, collecting shiny debris and lifting it off to shove it under his nose. Bruce squinted at the collection of solid flakes.

"What are you saying?"

"The rock has something on the inside. The flakes are to protect whatever is encased within, in high temperatures it will melt and reveal whatever is embedded inside." Jarvis dropped the flakes into his hand and withdrew, pointing to the black sides. "These sides are the center faces, whatever's inside uses this side to collect power."

"I'm hearing you." Bruce stared at the flakes in his hand. They glinted brightly under the white light and were beginning to look blue. He couldn't believe it. Jarvis was sounding too right.

"The source of its power is inside of it. You must melt the outside to reveal the center. It uses the darkness to refuel, which is why the outside glows a pale blue."

"But what does it collect? I mean, what the hell is inside this thing?" Bruce let the flakes drop to the table and studied the shiny rock. Jarvis was beginning to sound more intelligent than him. Not that he cared. After all, the device was made by Tony, so he'd expect it to be as smart as his friend.

"Emotions."

"What?!" Bruce jumped back, glaring at the piece of rock in anger. What the hell was that for? Why would it need feelings?

"Emotions. The rock collects positive emotions, draining the person of all their good feelings and replacing them with negative emotions." Jarvis calmly placed a glass cube over the rock and moved away. "If you touch it, you will feel weaker."

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. He couldn't figure it out, even after Jarvis's explanation. "But…it hasn't affected me. I'm feeling normal." He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned to Tony. _Oh god. _Jarvis clicked his three fingers together and lowered his arm. Bruce forced his eyes open and stared out of the window, feeling as if everything had come crashing down on his shoulders. It made perfect sense now.

"But Tony hasn't."


	4. Chapter 4

**so very sorry for the long wait. There's been waaay too much on - but now i have time, so i've finished writing these last few chapters. Hopefully all those patient people will enjoy them. :D**

**Enjo! and plz review**

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CHAPTER 4:

Tony felt the muscles in his back relax as he sped further away from the apartment. _Knew this was a good idea. _He felt like a great weight had been lifted, and nothing was pressing down on his mind or sending sharp pains into his chest. He checked the reactor quickly. The pulse had slowed down, now there was nothing but the normal blue light shining through his white t – shirt. His mind whirred at why it wasn't hurting now that he was away from that place. _Maybe it's the lab. _He quickly discarded that thought, it made zero sense. He'd been spending half his life in a lab and it hadn't affected anything so there was no reason why it should start now.

The wind whipped through the windows as the car tore through the track, reaching speeds over 200. Tony smiled in exhilaration and felt himself laugh. The sound felt surreal coming from his mouth. He hadn't been able to laugh like this for weeks. There was nothing more he liked than going fast, hence the Iron man suit.

He really should've been working on another improved version of his suit, but the damn rock had taken all his free time; not to mention the nightmares had given him a little gift of absolutely no sleep. Pepper had called him several times to remind him that he had an interview. But that was yesterday, and Tony had been distracted. Again. He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. _She'll understand…_he was trying not to imagine how much of a scolding he'd be getting next time she came up. Whether or not anyone believed it, an angry, yelling Ms. Potts was something Tony was very afraid of. She could be really scary when she wanted – though he'd never admit that to her or anyone else. Even when he knew she'd never truly hurt him, the thought wasn't too comforting.

Tony blinked and narrowed his eyes, staring forward into the distance. There was a faint blurry building of some sort far off down the road, its metal roof projecting the glare of the sun. _I hope they're in today..._ Tony's stomach clenched nervously and he shook his head at the sudden desire for his favourite pub to be open. This was getting ridiculous. He'd just had a drink...hadn't he? So why was he heading towards the lonely pub – when there was an even better one with more people in the city? _It is because you want to be alone..._ something whispered into his head. The sudden voice startled Tony, and he slammed his foot down onto the brake, sending the Porsche into a wild spin.

"Gaaah!" he clenched his teeth together and braced himself for the jolt as the car bumped off the road and spun into the yellow fields. Corn tumbled into the seats and dry leaves smacked into his face, only making him more frustrated. The screech of the brakes ended abruptly and Tony felt the car jerk to a sudden stop, tipping sideways and then slamming back down. The rustle of leaves stilled, and the Porsche wheezed out a sound that reminded Tony of a hiccup before going dead.

His hands dropped from the wheel, landing limply by his sides as he unclenched his jaw and opened his eyes. The sudden movement caused dirt to fall into his eyes, escaping from his thick hair and spraying onto the white leather. As the shock wore off, Tony let his head fall forward onto the steering wheel.

"What the fuck just happened?" he murmured, letting his racing heart slow. What was wrong with him? First he was suffering from sleep deprivation, due to the ridiculous cloaked figure and now he couldn't drive and was stuck in a cornfield, all because a voice in his head had scared him shitless. And to top it all off, his beautiful red Porsche was probably completely destroyed. _It's that rock. I swear it's that fucking rock – _

"Um... Are – are you alright?" Tony jerked his head up and looked around blindly for a few seconds before his eyes fell on the figure of a girl. Her bright blue eyes regarded him thoughtfully, slightly concerned by his state. In her hands was a basket of freshly picked corn, which she lowered slowly and wiped her hands on the plain white apron she had tied around herself.

"Er – so...what exactly happened?" her voice was soft, careful. The wind gently ruffled her long blonde hair, pulling loose strands from the carefully tied bandana on her head. Tony leaned back into the seat, regarding her wearily. What the hell was he supposed to say? _I was driving down this road to get a drink and a voice in my head which I think was because of this strange blue rock I found, distracted me so I hit the brake and ended up in your cornfield. Sorry. _This raging beauty would think he was a nutcase.

"Um…I was driving…and I – I hit something on the road, and the car went wild." He looked regretfully around at the damaged cornfield, hoping that she would believe his story. "Sorry about your cornfield."

She smiled, running her eyes over the car and shaking her head. "That car suffered more damage than my cornfield. And you're pretty torn up as well. Do you want to come into the house so I can fix you up?"

Tony screwed up his eyebrows and reached up to angle the rear view mirror in his direction. His reflection gazed back at him, hair covered in dirt and clothes torn to shreds from the loose rocks. On his left cheek a series of shallow scratches were still bleeding, running down his neck and soaking his shirt. He winced as the shock dissipated and he was faced with the wave of stinging pain.

"Crap."

Tony winced as she placed the last bandage on his chest, pressing gently before taping it to his skin. He glanced at his reflection in the large oval mirror, frowning at his half – naked form. Everything was pretty much cleaned up, the grazes on his cheek had only been disinfected - there was nothing much anyone could do about those; but the larger cuts on his side and ribs had been bandaged and taken care of. His hair still had the odd grain of dirt embedded, but most of it had washed away when the girl had poured a bucketful of freezing water over his head. He hid a smile at the thought. She was some girl.

"So, what's your name?" she bit her lip, placing the dirty wipes into a trash bin and beginning to pack away her First – aid kit.

"Tony. Tony stark." He held out a hand, but quickly dropped it when her form froze at the name. She turned around slowly, blue eyes wide with awe and excitement. He felt a swell of smugness surg up from inside him.

"You don't happen to be – "

"Yeah I'm the Tony stark that owns that big tower you can see from this place." He pointed, smiling, at his new tower. She shook her head, turning back to him.

"But you are Iron man!" he shrugged, going for nonchalance. Though he was pretty pleased at her reaction, this was Tony stark here, and the only feeling he showed (if he could help it) was detached boredom.

"And your tower is destroyed…" she hid a smile at his scowl. "My name is Sarah."

"Well you can blame those inter – galactic aliens that almost destroyed our planet for that." Tony stood, shrugging on the blue shirt Sarah had given him. "What can I say? I had to save planet earth from Loki's rule – I had no choice but to sacrifice a tower." He smirked at her expression. "After all, I only have … 10 more where that came from."

"Those aliens…they destroyed half of New York City. But you saved us." She smiled up at him in awe. Tony smirked, shrugging one shoulder in a failed attempt at modesty.

"Well American Spandex boy helped a little, I suppose." He had to give it to Steve. Little American packed a pretty mean punch if he tried.

"Spandex?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. Tony half – smiled and held out a hand. "Thanks sweetie – "

Tony stumbled back as she threw herself at him, hugging him with all the strength of a girl in love. He looked down at her in confusion, feeling slightly exposed as she smiled up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Sorry, but I couldn't just let you leave without getting my part of the arrangement."

"Arrangement?" Tony blinked. Maybe he'd missed something, but he hadn't made any deals with the girl, not that he would mind kissing this beauty.

"Yeah. After all, it's not every day a farmer girl gets to help Iron man. So I couldn't let you leave without a hug." She smiled again, releasing him and pointing to the door. "Now you can leave. And that shirt cost $20."

Tony smiled at her as he turned around. "I don't have money."

"Don't give me bullshit. You're a zillionaire." He smiled to himself as she shouted from the window, turning around once to wave at her laughing figure. She really was a gem, but too young. He may be a playboy, but he wasn't a paedophile.

The road shimmered ahead of him as he started walking back the way he came. The Porsche was still stuck in the cornfield, and probably would be for a while, unless sweetie had an uncle she hadn't told him about. The thought brought a rare smile to his face. He didn't mind walking, but now he was wishing he hadn't driven quite so far.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Things are starting to get a little more tense now. Enjoy! ;)**

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CHAPTER 5:

Bruce paced the lab room, nervously checking his watch. _He should be here by now; he's been gone all day. _His mind churned with the thoughts he'd only recently discovered. The rock was affecting Tony for a reason. What was it about him that was so different from Bruce? It couldn't be the fact that he had the Other Guy – that made no sense whatsoever. He was sure if that were the case he'd be turning into a big green rage monster right now. Tony's personality maybe?

"Tea sir?"

Bruce looked up in confusion. _Tea?_ "…What?"

"Tea. A mixture combining the natural elem – "

"- I know what it is. I never have it Jarvis, stop asking weird questions. Make yourself useful and get me some coffee."

"Right away sir."

As soon as the robot had left the room Bruce went back to pondering the problem. It had always been his way, to sit and think about something. He wasn't keen on going off just to forget everything, and ignoring the question would never get you the answer. Drinking didn't help at all, it didn't give you the answer, just made you forget the question. _Too much thinking Bruce. _He was going off track. That usually meant he'd thought for too long, but he wasn't about to stop now. Tony's life could very well be in danger.

He stopped his pacing and turned to face the setting sun. Sunsets always helped him think. The blinking lights of various shops were beginning to flicker on, awaiting the time of darkness so that New York could become a city of night lights. The blue on one of the take – away shops reminded Bruce of Tony's arc reactor. It always bewildered him that a piece of metal in his chest was all that was keeping him alive. The thought of his friend ceasing to exist made him shudder. The reactor…_wait. _That was it! Bruce whacked his hand against his face. What the hell was wrong with him? It took him this long to figure out a simple thing like that?

Tony's reactor was the reason he was feeling so out of it. The rock's centre was made of the same material – and so was the tesseract, so the two objects were playing up. The energy levels of both power sources were colliding, causing the rock to fluctuate between pulses of pale blue light; which he figured was its own way of fighting the arc reactor – resulting in Tony feeling weak and grouchy, which resulted in lack of sleep, which resulted in everyone feeling like they'd done something wrong whenever Tony spoke to them.

"I knew it could be explained in a rational, scientific way!" Bruce smiled. Everything could be explained by science. You just needed to know how to look for it.

"Your coffee sir." Jarvis clicked his three fingers at the little tray beside him. Bruce smiled wanly at the robot and picked up the cup, happy to have finally figured it out.

"Thanks Jarvis. For helping me…you know you're a really smart robot." He took a sip, letting the coffee slide down his parched throat. "Almost too smart…" Bruce raised an eyebrow at the robot, which was suddenly very silent. Tony had created artificial intelligence more than once, but none of his other previous robots had ever been any use. Not that Jarvis was any use – until now. And what was with all the tea questions?

"Jarvis, what is it with you and tea?"

"Tea, sir?"

"Yes. Tea. You keep asking whether we want tea."

"It is a calming substance." Jarvis moved away from the scientist, heading towards the door. "Sir has returned."

Bruce set down the cup, relief sweeping through him. Tony was back! But what had taken him so long? He hadn't heard the garage open, and he was sure he'd taken a car.

The lab door clicked shut, sealing away the suddenly glowing orb of blue light that had flared the moment Tony entered the tower.

Bruce threw himself down the stairs, a nervous excitement filling his veins with renewed enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to tell Tony about his research, then maybe they could go back to being normal again. He was really starting to hate this confusing silence that had been hanging around lately.

"Tony!" he rounded the corner, almost running into his partner in his excitement.

"Whoa – geez Bruce. Getting excited are we?" he offered a small smile at the stunned scientist and moved around him to get to the kitchen. "Did you miss me?" Tony asked, feeling a little like his old self again.

"Um, well only because you were gone for so long..." Bruce made his way to the kitchen, watching as Tony grabbed a bottle of sherry and coke and sat at one of the high chairs that framed the mini bar. "Where did you go?"

"Aw, nowhere. Just for a ride." Bruce raised an eyebrow as he turned away from him, pouring the coke into a glass and mixing it with sherry. There was something odd about his friend; he seemed a little better in terms of personality, but there was something different about the way he looked.

"Where's the car?" Bruce watched as Tony momentarily stiffened before regaining his composure and spinning around in the chair. He took a generous sip from his glass and swallowed before answering.

"In the garage."

"But I didn't hear the garage open."

"I presume you were in the lab?" Bruce sighed as Tony stood up. "See I thought so." He lifted his glass and pursed his lips. "There's no way you could have heard it. I know because I engineered those sound proof walls myself."

Bruce frowned, raking his eyes over Tony's attire. There was something distinctly different, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was only the faint mark of a scratch on his left cheek – but that hadn't been there this morning had it? He wouldn't know; he hadn't paid enough attention to his unusually moody friend. Tony had been acting weird all week; Bruce had never thought to double check what exactly was happening. Of course he'd been concerned, but he wasn't one to pry. _That is ultimately my downfall _he thought bitterly.

"Your shirt." The sudden realization shocked him. How could he not have noticed that before? Tony shifted uncomfortably, hiding his expression in another long mouthful of alcohol.

"You're wearing another one."

"I do tend to change my shirts." Tony retorted angrily, moving back around the counter.

"What did you do all that time you were gone?"

"I went to get a drink. Why do you have to know everything?" his mood was darkening all of a sudden. He felt a little sick and gripped the bench to keep himself upright. Bruce noticed the movement and couldn't help feeling a pang of worry for his friend.

"Did you get into some sort of fight then?"

"What?"

Bruce gestured to his cheek, stepping forward a little. "Your cheek." Tony narrowed his eyes, setting his glass of liquor down.

"I just had a little accident that's all. Shit happens alright?" he blinked, trying to rid himself of the faint blurry edges that had appeared on the boundaries of his sight.

"Tony you need to tell me what happened. You can't just turn up after you've been gone all day – looking like you've travelled to the desert and back. Your jeans are ripped and you have scratches everywhere. What happened?"

Tony shook his head as his world tilted, raising a hand to his eyes and stumbling as he tried to maintain consciousness. There was a thick blanket enveloping his mind, blocking the sound of Bruce's voice out and replacing it with a high pitched keening that ripped through his mind like a dagger.

"Tony? Tony!" Bruce swung himself over the counter, voice laced with worry and nervousness. He didn't know what he should do – his friend was having a possible black out and all he could think of was his own guilt. It had been his questioning that had caused this.

Tony felt strong arms brace him against a taught chest and faintly heard a frantic voice call his name before the world went dark and a low laugh that seemed to come from everywhere at once, echoed through his mind and faded away shortly afterward, leaving a hollow emptiness in its wake.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay here's the dream chapter guys. Hopefully you'll all make sense of it :)**

**Read and review!**

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CHAPTER 6

_"Who are you?" he called for the hundredth time, spinning slowly around. He felt as if he were floating in a pool of low gravity, wearing a jumbo suit and high density shaded goggles for all the use his body parts were. Moving his limbs was so tiring, and his vision felt like he was peering through murky water, desperately trying to decipher the movement in the shadows. _

_"Someone from a different world" The voice responded, echoing around the place as if it was a cave and spilling through the dark mist like poison. Tony squinted and jerked his head around, flailing his arms and desperately trying to find solid ground. Flying he could do but this floating business was unnerving. He felt as though whoever had him trapped could do anything to him. The stranger held all the cards – and he didn't like it one bit. He was used to being the one in control._

_"Would you just tell me?" Tony sighed, ignoring the swirling mist that seemed to cling to his skin. "This is dragging on for too long you know. I need to finish some things back on planet earth..." his voice drifted off as he studied the constant darkness. "...that is if I'm not still on it."_

_The voice laughed, "Your predictions are correct Mr. Stark. You are most certainly not on your beloved Midgard." Tony stiffened, hit by an unnerving sense of déjà vu. He could've sworn he'd heard that voice before. The way this stranger articulated his words and the fluidity with which he spoke was all too familiar. Nevertheless, he tried to maintain a level mind and a reasonably passive expression so as not to alert this stranger of any progression in his state._

_"It would be a lot easier if you just told me."_

_"Aaaah -" the voice chuckled, "But then that wouldn't be very amusing would it?" a tendril of mist stretched out from the rest and coyly wrapped itself around his neck, its cold surface sliding against his skin. Tony swallowed, his heart rate accelerating and with it his breathing; which had become increasingly strained._

_"What are you going to do to me?" he hated feeling so weak – it was against his nature but even his pride was shadowed by a greater desire to break free of all this uncertainty and questioning. The voice was silent, as if the stranger was considering his blatant question and what he should do about it. Out of nowhere, four more strands of dark mist unfurled themselves from their neighbours and quickly wrapped themselves around both his wrists and ankles, tightening so that even when he tried with all his strength to break free they did no more than tighten. A low grunt escaped his lips as he surrendered, straining to catch a glimpse of the stranger._

_Tony waited in agonizing silence while the tendril of shadow curled itself tighter around his neck before loosening and sliding under his shirt, its cold and slippery surface sending shivers right through him. It wound its way around his torso and then slowly extended down to his thigh before curling around tightly. Tony couldn't help the moan that broke free, though immediately afterward he tried to muffle it with a sharp intake of breath. _

_"Nothing you wouldn't want me to." The voice finally sounded again, and Tony glanced to his left feeling a sudden premonition that something was going to happen. The air around him swirled and a pale hand came up from behind him, sliding around his neck and holding it with an iron grip._

_"You – you're un – un unnat – ural." Tony croaked as the hand tightened._

_"Oh that I am." The man laughed, loosening his grip and disappearing into the darkness once again. Tony swivelled his head around, trying to catch sight of the man before he left, but all he encountered was a blue light that flared once amidst the haze and then disappeared from view. _

_"It seems you have stumbled upon one of my ... valued possessions." _

_"You know about the rock?" Tony stopped attempting to struggle free from the misty bindings to listen. _

_"Of course I do." The man retorted irritably. "I discovered it myself. It's mine." _

_"What is it?" Tony asked, his fear curbed by an unbearable urge to discover something new. _

_"That is none of your concern." The voice snapped; a flare of blue sparking in front of Tony. Footsteps sounded off to his right and he focused his eyes on the space, judging the distance between them. Not that he could do anything about it. He was chained by tendrils of fog. Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes – who would've thought that Iron man would be reduced to getting beaten by fog?_

_"Actually I think it is." The footsteps halted, leaving Tony wondering what was going to happen next. There was nothing but deafening silence for a while, and then the stranger decided on his next move. _

_"I will tell you one thing. It was not mere chance that you encountered it on the road. It was my will that you are bound to it."_

_"I'm bound to it!?" Tony raised his voice in trepidation, hysteria lying underneath his calm facade. He was losing it. The veil of fog lifted from around him and the dull grey that came with it also departed, leaving behind a darkness so complete it was almost blinding. Suddenly a pair of bright emerald eyes appeared inches from his own, staring unwaveringly into Tony's brown orbs. The stranger had no distinct face, the rest was just a fuzzy blur - save for the eyes. Their brilliance threatened to overwhelm Tony, and he fought uselessly against the misty chains that bound him to nothing at all. _

_"We shall meet again." Thin lips stretched into a bitter smile, and in that instant Tony knew this man was no stranger. He whispered the name in disbelief, the last thing he saw were those piercing green eyes that seemed to burn themselves into his mind. _

_"Loki." Then there was nothing. _

Loki withdrew from the mortal's dreams, making sure to leave behind a numbing nothingness that would haunt the mortal for days afterwards. He opened his eyes and sat up, grimacing again at his surroundings. There were a fair number of curses he knew, but none were vile enough to depict what the god was feeling as he turned green eyes to stare blankly out of the glass prison Odin had banished him to. Though his situation was grim, the thought of the future he had specifically crafted brightened his outlook considerably. Tony was a man easily swayed by his feelings, and Loki knew of no better way to escape his confinement than to store up enough energy and then, using Tony, he would execute his escape.

And this time – no one would stop him.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so very sorry for all the people who had to wait...almost a year for me to get my butt working again. So sorry to all of you, i've had quite a bit of problems regarding schoolwork and personal issues. But i am here now, so enjoy the rest and hopefully there will be more very soon! ;) **

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CHAPTER 7

_Tony gasped, eyes flying wide open before he closed them again, stunned by the brightness. What the heck just happened? Did I really just have a peaceful conversation with a God? I can't believe this – was it really Loki? But how the heck did this happen? It's the god of mischief for crying out loud! Conversations with him aren't supposed to be calm – you're not even supposed to have conversations! _

_"Aaargh!" Tony groaned, rubbing the palms of his hands into his eyes. He just couldn't figure anything out anymore. Maybe he had some sort of deficiency._

_"Tony?" a voice sounded beside him, causing a bright pain to flare up at the loud intrusion. He opened his eyes with caution, waiting in grim silence as his eyes adjusted to his darkened room. Beside him, sitting on a metal chair with his hands on his thighs and concerned expression, was Bruce. _

_"How long have you been sitting there?" he croaked out, shifting so as to lever himself up into a sitting position. Bruce brushed a hand through his curly hair before answering in a whisper,_

_"Since you fainted." Tony frowned at the comment._

_"I did not faint."_

_"Sorry – blacked out." The ghost of a smile formed on the scientists face at his friend's proud rebuttal. "Even when you're on death's door you can't bear to hear someone state that you fainted."_

_"What's wrong with that?" Tony rested against the wooden bed rest, feeling the reactor stutter inside of him. He studied the shadows cast on the whitewashed walls as the reactor shined brightly. Too brightly he thought; squinting painfully before returning his attention to Bruce. And he was going to have to change the battery soon._

_"How long have I been out?" he asked running a hand over his sleep clotted face. Stubble scraped against his palms, and he realised it would've had to be more than a few hours for half a beard to have grown._

_"Two days."_

_"What?!" Tony panicked, yanking the sheets off him and moving to stand up. The scientist intercepted him quickly though, and pushed him back onto the bed. _

_"You're in no mood to go running around Tony. You need to relax a little before – "_

_"Relax?!" Tony burst out, heart hammering in his chest. All this tension was really getting to him – Pepper would be worried sick. "I've been relaxing for 48 hours! The last thing I need is – "_

_"Look." Bruce cut him off, pushing him roughly back onto the bed. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm not just going to sit here while my best friend has a seizure. Go. Back. To. Sleep."_

_Tony shook his head but hesitantly lay back down, back against the cool wood. He didn't want to fall asleep again. His head hurt terribly, but he was afraid that even a moment of rest would result in another visit from Loki. _

_"I – I can't Bruce."_

_"What do you mean you can't?" Bruce frowned, sitting down again. Tony studied the white sheets, trying to come to grips with what he'd seen. Should he tell Bruce? What if he thought he was insane? Who was he kidding – he was insane. _

_"Tony?" _

_"What!?" Tony growled, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. It was Loki – he was the one manipulating everything. Unbelievable. Like the god had nothing better to do than piss off a "mere mortal." _

_Bruce swallowed, choosing to keep his mouth shut. Tony wasn't acting like himself at all – and this was worse than the usual moody replies. This was like he knew something else. Something traumatizing. "I found some new things while you were...away." _

_Tony glanced up, glad for a change of topic. "Yeah. What?" _

_"The reactor is the reason you're feeling so moody." He pointed at the glowing blue life line in his chest. "The rock – or whatever the hell it is, is made of the same stuff that the reactor is. The coinciding forces are playing off each other; so technically, the rock is controlling your emotions. It takes your positive emotions to feed itself, so the only thing left are your negative ones." _

_Tony sighed and looked down again, reaching a hand to tap the metal in his chest. He didn't look surprised at all. Maybe he already knew this. Bruce frowned nervously, suddenly feeling as if he were under scrutiny. _

_"So the rock controls me." Tony replied finally, looking up with weary eyes. _

_"Yes." _

_"And we can't get rid of it?" silence answered his question. Bruce shifted uncomfortably._

_"I...don't know. We haven't tried throwing it away exactly."_

_"Well that's what we're going to do." Tony threw the covers off himself again, moving to the other side of the bed and glaring at Bruce, daring him to intercept his movement. _

_"What? You're just going to throw it away?" Bruce couldn't help but feel like it was a waste of something new. The scientist in him wanted to keep it, if only to study what it was – maybe there were others of similar kind out there. _

_"I'm going to goddam try." Tony was now at the bathroom, pulling open the door to the walk in robe and selecting a blue t – shirt. He slipped it on and strode – a little unsteadily – to the door. "You coming?" Bruce stood up, considering his options. He didn't have any. If he didn't go, Tony would get upset and that was the last thing he wanted. Tony didn't wait for his answer, he just pulled open the door and marched out, clicking his fingers to close the lights in the kitchen. Bruce sighed loudly and walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him._


End file.
